Today (March 15), ESSENCE revealed their brand new “Of the Essence” cover star of the month, Meagan Good. The acclaimed actress is well-known for her roles in movies like Think Like a Man, Stomp The Yard, Deliver Us From Eva, and more, and she is currently the star of Amazon Prime Video’s hit show “Harlem.” In the new profile, she delved into the early days of her career, how she worked her way up, controversy, her divorce, and much more.

“I take it as a challenge,” Good said about being underestimated as an actress. “I can still change people’s minds about me, and I don’t look at that as a bad thing. I look at that as a purpose thing… When we met with my first manager, she didn’t even want me. She was like, ‘She ain’t ready yet.’ She wanted [my sister] La’Myia, so our mom was like, ‘Go convince her that you want to do this.’”

She also spoke about her relationship with Sony Screen Gems, which led to her booking a good amount of her most well-known roles. “After we were done rehearsing, [Gabrielle Union] went to the head of Sony Screen Gems and was like, ‘I love this girl. She’s great. You guys need to hire her.’ And from that relationship alone, I did You Got Served, D.E.B.S., Stomp The Yard, Think Like a Man, and Think Like a Man Too,” said the Los Angeles-raised talent. She also revealed she did more movies with Screen Gems than she did with any other studio throughout her nearly three-decade career.

The 41-year-old star then opened up about her public divorce from Devon Franklin after nine years of marriage, which came as a shock to many people. “It’s nothing that I would have ever chosen, and when I realized that it was happening, I was devastated,” Good said. “I was like, ‘This is me, Lord. I did everything that I could do to the best of my ability.'”

Elsewhere in the conversation, the D.E.B.S. actress addressed dealing with skin bleaching rumors, her faith, people finally understanding her, and more. Be sure to check out the full ESSENCE profile here.